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Proposal Would Punish Clubs That Discriminate Against Women

A proposal that would pressure all-male private clubs to admit women is under consideration by a House Ways and Means subcommittee.

Under the proposal, social clubs that discriminate on the basis of gender would lose their tax-exempt status.

The proposal is one of many revenue-raising ideas the panel has been considering to help finance a package of tax code changes that individual lawmakers want to make. Currently, a private club's tax-exempt status can be revoked if it discriminates on the basis of race, color or religion. Gender discrimination would be added to the list under the House proposal.

The Clinton administration has refused to lend its support to the measure. While the issue of gender discrimination by social clubs "deserves attention," a senior Treasury official said, the administration is concerned that this particular proposal could deny tax-exempt status to certain organizations with "longstanding and relatively non-controversial practices of limiting membership on the basis of gender," such as fraternities and sororities.